Experience example
Ensuring that a Water Utility's Hazardous Area are Safe
"Safety doesn't happen by accident" - Unknown
Industry
Utility
Sector
Water & Sewerage
Segment
Hazardous Area Compliance
Project
- The client looks after all municipal water and wastewater systems in Tasmania including 61 water treatment systems with some 6500 km of water mains and approximately 100 sewerage systems with nearly 5000 km of sewer mains.
- The client has multiple electrical installations that fall within the Hazardous Area zones of nine digester type Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs).
- These installations needed to be audited and upgraded as required to ensure they complied with current electrical standards relating to Hazardous Areas.
- The client engaged a consultant to produce an initial Hazardous Area Classification.
- The client then needed a company with both Hazardous Area engineering and installation skills to audit the sites and then design, implement and document any remediation required.
- As Cromarty possessed all skills required in house we were engaged for the project.
Solution
Cromarty worked collaboratively with the client to:
- Generate Hazardous Area zone drawings
- Identify non-compliant electrical equipment against zone drawings
- Modify non-compliant equipment
- Source and install compliant replacements if non-compliant equipment couldn't be modified
- Generate drawings of all Hazardous Area electrical wiring schematics.
- Check and upgrade equipotential bonding as required
- Document all equipment information and compile a dossier that meets current Hazardous Area requirements.
Outcome
The successful outcome for the client is that all their Hazardous
Areas were now compliant to Australian Standards ensuring the sites
were safe for their operators. Going forward they now have standardised,
clear and current information which could be used both regular
maintenance of their assets to ensure on going Hazardous
Area compliance but also guidelines for any new equipment needing to be
installed.